4.20, Meet 10.17

While 4.20 is internationally recognized as “Weed Day,” Canadian cannabis brand Tokyo Smoke is celebrating the Oct. 17 legalization of recreational cannabis in Canada with the launch of the awareness campaign “Ten Seventeen.”

The centrepiece of the campaign is a 60-second video developed by Toronto-based Common Good with assistance from Tokyo Smoke’s in-house creative team. The vibrant, occasionally surreal video is comprised of more than 35 quick-cut vignettes depicting the various ways Canadians can celebrate the Oct. 17 legalization of recreational cannabis, giving them their own annual day and time of celebration, Oct. 17 or at 10:17 every day.

The video encourages Canadians to think about how they can make the most of 10.17, either by maximizing 10-mins and 17-seconds of their day doing something they enjoy, or spending $10.17 on something special. In doing so, the video cleverly bypasses strict government restrictions around cannabis marketing by expressing the date as a dollar amount ($10.17) and as time (10:17). It uses a similar approach in its visual representations – many of them literal – of common consumption terms including “blow trees,” “smoke a bowl,” “hotbox,” “spark one” and “roll one.”

View the spot:

Over a dozen prominent Canadian influencers are featured in the spot, including Tristan Banning and Hawley Dunbar, co-founders of the Toronto-based music/fashion/art/design/lifestyle blog Sidewalk Hustle; art installation expert Trevor Wheatley, and drag queen/fashion icon Tynomi Banks.

The stylized video contains several juxtapositions of low and high culture such as a model wearing a couture dress in a Canadian Legion basement, as well as specific colour palettes for each of the vignettes. There is also a reference to Harmony Korine’s 1997 indie movie Gummo (a shot with a model eating pasta in a bathtub) and other winking references to popular culture.

The associated website, SpendTenSeventeen.com, features content including trivia questions linked to 10:17, such as “How long does it take a 150lb person to burn 1017 calories?” and “Which Canadian team made history on October 17, 1992” as well as recipes and a meditation guide. The site also provides information on upcoming Tokyo Smoke events.

The influencers will share the campaign elements through their social channels, while also contributing content to the SpendTenSeventeen.com microsite. The 14 influencers will create content that is either linked to their specific area of expertise, or around what they will be doing on 10.17 – such as who will be their 10.17 “vibe guide,” the five essential songs on their 10.17 playlist, and their style inspiration for the day.

The website will eventually feature five playlists, five recipes that can be made in 10 minutes and 17 seconds (for when celebrants get the munchies) and an array of 10.17-related content, including recommendations for a 10.17 movie marathon, a 10 minute, 17 second stretch routine, and ways to burn 1017 calories.

About Tokyo SmokeTokyo Smoke is an award-winning, design focused brand that seamlessly blends the best of cannabis with preeminent retail. We are ushering in a new era with an elevated retail experience, our signature collection of accessories and our soon to launch recreational cannabis. Starting Oct 17th, Tokyo Smoke will be opening innovative & unmatched dispensary stores around Canada, setting the standard for cannabis retail. We believe in the power of informed cannabis usage to turn intention into action, and to help people live a better life. To learn more or shop online, visit www.tokyosmoke.com

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Samsung has today announced the launch of its global “TV Is Making History Again” campaign to celebrate the newly released QLED 8K TV, created in partnership with adam&eveNYC

The “Making History Again” campaign, which first aired on May 15 in the US, draws its story from the Apollo 11 moon landings of 50 years ago. A 60-second TV spot shows how the world gathered together to witness 1969’s historic moment of human achievement on televisions around the world. This is then brought forward to the modern day as we witness those same characters watch this era-defining moment 50 years later, now in stunning resolution and full color, on the new Samsung QLED 8K TV.

As part of the campaign, Samsung has partnered with Statement Films and CNN on the “Apollo 11” documentary. This feature film created from newly-discovered, never-before-seen 65mm and 70mm archival footage from NASA and the National Archives and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings, remastered into a remarkable 8K film, and premiered at film festivals and in IMAX theaters. As part of the partnership, the :60 spot will also air within CNN’s broadcast premiere of the documentary.

“TV technology has been essential in bringing the world together to experience critical moments in modern history,” said Grace Dolan, Vice President, Home Entertainment Demand Generation, Samsung Electronics America. “As we mark the 50th anniversary of Samsung Electronics and the first steps on the moon by a human, it’s only fitting that our “Making History” QLED 8K TV commercial and multimedia campaign with CNN celebrates the past while giving a glimpse into how Samsung will continue to bring people together in the future through the power of 8K.”

David Brown & Daniel Bonder, ECDs, adam&eveNYC added: “Apollo 11 was one of those unforgettable moments where the world came together to watch something beyond anything they’d seen before . Samsung QLED 8K TV is allowing a new generation to experience the power seeing something truly groundbreaking.”

In addition to “Making History Again” creative running across broadcast, OLV, digital, in-store and social, the cross-platform campaign also includes globally-produced branded content featuring astronaut Scott Kelly, and a globally-led sponsorship of a three-part digital video series spotlighting a new generation of female leaders who are determining where the next great discoveries will be made, developing the groundbreaking technology to send humanity to the farthest reaches of the universe, and tapping a younger, more diverse recruiting pipeline that is opening doors for the next crop of dreamers.